Adjustable band for garments and the like.



T. R. GAINES.

' ADJUSTABLE BAND FOR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 19:4.

1 1 7 1.9761. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

T 1 3 1 2 M M'MQM h MM 3 45 20 mbrassas Wren/0r TR flames THOMAS R.GAINES, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ADJUSTABLE BAND FOR. GARMENTS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Mar. 14,1916.

Application filed May 29, 1914. Serial No. 841,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. Gamns, a citizen of the United States, andresident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominionof Canada, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements inAdjustable Bands for Garments and the like, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in adjustable bands for garments,and the object is to provide a. device which may be applied eitherto anexlsting garment or to a new garment in course of construction, andwhich will take up the slack material at the waist band or the like.

A further object is to provide an attachment for waist bands which maybe removed when the garment is Washed.

A still further object is to provide an attachment which may be adjustedto the wearers measure or to compensate for permanent elongation asoccurs in elastic materials.

The use of a draw string run through a tubular hem at the waist band ofa garment to gather the garment in exactly to the wearers measure hasbeen used for many years and of late years improvement has been made bysubstituting an elastic band fixed at its ends at suitable points on thewaist band, so that the contraction of the elastic draws the garmentclosely to the wearers body. The'disadvantage of this is that theelastic band cannot be taken out without considerable trouble when thegarment is washed, and moreover, the elastic band is subject todecomposition by the action of air, perspiration, etc. and consequentpermanent elongation, so that the accuracy of fit is soon lost.

The present invention aims to provide a band of elastic which may beadjusted as to length between its points of attachment and the garmentwaist band, andwhich may be readily removed for renewal or duringwashing of the garment. This attachment may be incorporated in thegarment during manufacture, or may be sewed separately, so that it canbe applied to an existing garment without much alteration to thegarment.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention:-Figure 1 shows thedevice as ap plied to an existing garment. Fig. 2 is a view similar toFig. 1, showing the device unfastened at one end. Fig. 3 is a plan viewof the attachment, as designed for application to existing garments.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a garmenthaving a waist band 12. The automatic adjusting means consists of astrip 13 preferably of elastic material attached toward its ends to thewaist band by means of buttons 14 secured to the waist band, andbutton-holes 15 formed in the strip. There are a plurality ofbuttonholes toward each end of the strip,

sothat the distance between the buttons 14 on the Waist band may beregulated by insorting the buttons through one or other of the holes 15.

When the device is used in connection with an existing garment, thestrip 13 is contained within a tubular sheath 17 having slots 16adjacent the ends thereof and buttons secured to the sheath adjacent theslots. This sheath is made suitably longer than the strip 13 and isattached throughout its entire periphery when extended to the eX- tendedwaist band 12 of the garment, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, by a line ofstitching 18. If the ends of the strip 13 are now secured to thebuttons, the portion of the sheath and attached skirt band between thebuttons will be gathered, as shown in Fig. 1. This form of the device isclearly shown in Fig. 3, as it will appear for sale ready for attachmentto existing garments. In some cases, it may be desirable to cover orconceal the fastening devices 14, and for this purpose flaps 19 may besecured to the body portion in position to fold over the fasteningdevices, and be secured in folded position by suitable fastening devices20, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3.

A slight modification of the device is shown in Fig. 5 in which the band13 instead of passing through a tubular portion passes through apluralityof eyelets or slits 21 formed in the garment, as clearly shown.

'While the invention has been described only as applied to thewaistbands of garments, for the reason that this will be by far itslargest use, it is obvious that it may be applied to other parts.

The advantages of this device over existing structures are very great.The band 13 may be adjusted in length to suit the user, and if this bandis of elastic material and permanent elongation occurs, compensatingadjustment may be made in an instant of time and without the necessityof sewing. The band may be removed to preserve the same and to let outthe gathering in the garment during laundrying. The device may be soldseparately and ready for attachment to existing garments with a minimumof trouble. The device is extremely simple, durable and inexpensive.

. Having thus described my invention, What I claim is In combinationWith a tubular sheath adapted for attachment to a garment, of anelasticband inserted therein, said tubular sheath having openingsadjacent its extremities and said elastic band extended through saidopenings and detachably and adjustably fastened beyond said openings tosaid sheath.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS R. GAINES. Witnesses:

S. R. W. ALLEN, G. M. MORELAND.

